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(a) The Performance Agreements (PAs) of National Directors-General (DGs) and Provincial Heads of Department (HoDs) are signed between the relevant Ministers/MECs to outline the agreed performance areas and indicators in a particular financial year. The Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) monitors the signing of performance agreements and provides recommendations to the performance agreements based on a quality assurance process. The DPME are not part of the signing of the agreements which is between the DG/HOD and the particular Executive Authority (EA) and is therefore not in a position to share the performance agreements.

(b) The DPME facilitates and acts as a Secretariat during the performance evaluations of National DGs and is not in a position to share the performance information that is between a particular Executive Authority and a DG. This will result in a loss of credibility in the process of the HoD evaluation. Assessment outcomes of National DGs is a personal matter between the Executive Authority (EA) and the DG and the DPME as the third party cannot share this information. It is suggested that individual EAs and DGs be approached to release the information. Further to this, the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) emphasises the fundamental human right to protect people’s privacy. This applies both with PAs and performance assessment outcomes until such time that the South African government declares these as public documents. To ensure a high level of confidentiality, the officials dealing with this work undergo “top secret” security clearance every five years.

The DPME will present the adherence of Departments with regards to implementation of the Policy on Performance Management Development System for the Heads of Department for 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial year at the Portfolio Committee on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation meeting taking place on 8 March 2024. It is proposed that further engagement be held at the meeting above.

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a) The Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation’s (DPME) communication activities on the 30 Year Review form part of the overall plan that is coordinated by the Government Communications and Information System (GCIS) on the 30-Years of Freedom and Democracy.

Specific planned activities are for the President to launch the 30 Year Review Report. The DPME will publish the report on the website in order to make it accessible to all stakeholders across the various sectors. Various communication platforms will be used to disseminate relevant material, for instance media briefings, interviews and social media material, and also allowing other parts of government to disseminate further information. All this will be done to maximise citizen engagement by stimulating discussions and facilitating South Africans to take ownership of the country’s progress over the three decades of democracy.

The report will also be shared with all government departments for upload in their websites to broaden its accessibility.

b) Stakeholder engagement sessions will be held to provide platforms for various sectors of the society to engage with the outcomes of the review process and to add their voices on their experience of South Africa’s democracy in the past 30 years.

The DPME will produce an executive summary, which will be translated into various official languages and disseminated to maximise accessibility and used in various stakeholder engagement summits – all in order to encourage the citizenry to engage with the report and contribute to shaping South Africa’s future.

Importantly, the findings and recommendations from the 30-year review will be considered when developing plans for the next cycle, that is the 2024-2029 Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP).

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The Government has translated the Capacity of the State into Priority One which binds all Government Department including National Treasury. All government department participate in the implementation of the NDP, in terms of the MTSF.

This priority addresses the social, economic and governance issues that cuts across all government that affects all of society. The NDP remains the country’s guide and serves to inform all short- and medium-term plans including the Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF).

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(1) (a) The President and the Minister in The Presidency for Electricity, Dr K Ramokgopa signed a performance agreement on 31 July 2023 and (b) the performance agreement is until the end of the 2023/2024 financial year (31 March 2024);

(2) No. I will not furnish Ms S J Graham with a copy of the performance agreement; as it is an agreement is between the President and the Minister in The Presidency for Electricity;

(3) President meets regularly with Ministers to assess progress in their portfolios. Whilst the Minister in the Presidency for Electricity provides regular progress with regard to the performance of his portfolio. In addition, the management of the performance of ministers is a prerogative of the President in terms of the Constitution.

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(a) Brand SA does not have a campaign called Made in SA. However, in line with its mandate, Brand South Africa profiles and showcases South African talent, skills, people, product and services. The recent campaigns anchored under brand advocacy focused on the following pillars on;

1) creative arts: where Brand South Africa profiled a young entrepreneur from Eastern Cape who owns a brand called Inga. Inga produces proudly South African bags that are designed, crafted, and produced in South Africa. Innovation & Technology: where Dr. Reza who is an aesthetics specialist and also owns an aviation company which exports aviation products. Dr Reza, through his foundation also offers skills and education on the aviation industry to his employees who come from the community the aviation company operates from. Brand South Africa recorded a video and promoted it on international platforms such as News Central. CNN Africa, Africa News, BBC News Africa, Supersports Blitz. This assisted in driving awareness, demand creation and expansion of his brand.

2) Exporting South Africa to South Korea: where Brand South Africa collaborated with influencers in South Korea with an objective of increasing familiarity and favourability of creative talent in South Korea. Some of the South African designers included Black Coffee, Maxhosa, and David Tlale. This campaign assisted in driving awareness of the nation brand, skills and talent.

3) In line with the Believe in SA strategy, Brand South has implemented a media partnership with BBC broadcast and BBC.Com on a campaign called ‘The Next Generation’ which profiles young South African entrepreneurs. The campaign puts a spotlight on the young generation showcasing their innovations in medical innovation, fintech and energy. As innovators, they have found new ways to make an impact and are ideal advocates for South Africa’s business story. The campaign is currently flighting across North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia Pacific until March 2024.

(b) While the focus of Brand South Africa is to instil confidence in South Africa and promote investment and tourism, Brand South Africa is equally committed to fostering the consumption of South African goods and services as a way to export the South African nation brand to the world and as a stimulus for economic growth and overall competitiveness of South African industries in the global market.

As part of its strategic initiatives, Brand South Africa conducts the Global Reputation Research Study, involving over 10,000 respondents across 14 international target markets. This research study evaluates South Africa's export competitiveness and appeal (among other measured variables) in key markets: the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, France, China, Japan, India, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.

Furthermore, the country is also benched marked against emerging & established continental powers: Africa - Nigeria & or Egypt; Middle East: United Arab Emirates & Turkey; Asia: Vietnam & Thailand, Vietnam & Thailand, South America: Chile & Brazil, and UK.

• Global businesses engaged in trade with South Africa, and those purchasing South African goods and services, consistently rank the country among the best, alongside esteemed counterparts such as the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, and Turkey.

• Further attesting to South Africa's global standing, among the benchmarked nations, global businesses place it within the top five countries to do business with, sharing this distinction with the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Thailand, and Brazil.

• Over 76 percent of all respondents across all 14 markets expressed a strong interest in purchasing South African export products. This affirmation underscores the resonance and desirability of South African goods on the global stage and reflects the positive perception of the Nation Brand but also signals a significant market potential for South African exports.

• Notably, the export sector emerges as one of the nation's key economic strengths, followed closely by the pivotal contributions of tourism and investment. This multifaceted approach reinforces Brand South Africa's crucial role in shaping and elevating the nation's global identity and economic prowess.

• prominence in Brand Finance’s Africa 200 report ranking stands as a testament to the robustness and resilience of its brands. Firmly positioned as the powerhouse of African brands, South Africa's influential role underscores its significant impact on shaping the business landscape across the continent. The top 200 brands in Africa have collectively experienced a commendable year-on-year brand value growth of 6%, culminating in an impressive total value of USD 54.4 billion. At the forefront of this success, South Africa emerges as the primary contributor, representing over half of the brands in the ranking and an impressive 75% (USD 40.8 billion) of the total brand value. This substantial leadership underscores South Africa's key role in driving and defining the narrative of African brands on the global stage.

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1.(a) It was subsequently concluded that there was no need for a formal investigation to be instituted in this regard as the measures in place to address the challenge are adequate. The Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) has a Frontline Monitoring and Support (FMS) programme implemented across all provinces in a holistic manner, which is a key monitoring mechanism that provides government not only with relevant, reliable information on the quality of service delivery on the ground, but also to facilitate improvements in service delivery.

(b) N/A